As part of a product design interview with Instabug, I was asked to evaluate their web dashboard using heuristic evaluation principles. While Instabug is a powerful tool for bug tracking and in-app feedback, even robust products benefit from usability refinement. My goal was to identify friction points in the interface and offer actionable improvements — without direct access to their internal user data.

Overview

1. Empathize

• Conducted a call with a developer familiar with Instabug’s workflow to understand the product’s use cases and user expectations.

• Reviewed a video walkthrough by Salma Ali on YouTube.

• Explored the dashboard as a first-time user.

• Defined primary users:

  • Developers focused on triaging and fixing bugs/crashes.

  • Product managers interested in surveys, crash trends, and bug visibility.

2. Evaluate (Heuristic Review)

I evaluated the dashboard against Jakob Nielsen’s 10 heuristics. Here are select key findings:

Process

1.Empty Sidebar Creates Confusion

Violates: Consistency and Standards

• Sidebar shimmered on load but remained empty, which felt like a bug or server issue.

  ✅ Recommendation: Remove it entirely if it serves no function.

🧭 Key Usability Findings & Recommendations

2.Redundant App Entry Points

Violates: Recognition vs. Recall

• Dropdown and app list created confusion.

  ✅ Recommendation: Remove the top dropdown for clarity and reduce visual noise.

3.Unclear Clickable Titles

Violates: Recognition vs. Recall

• App names are clickable but not styled as such.

  ✅ Recommendation: Use distinct color or underline + add a “View App” CTA for clarity.

4.Poor Tag Differentiation (Live vs. Beta)

Violates: Recognition vs. Recall

✅ Recommendation: Use color-coded tags or icons for faster scanning.

5.Redundant Instructional Text

Violates: Aesthetic & Minimalist Design

✅ Recommendation: Rewrite for brevity, split copy into bolded action + supporting text and better visual hierarchy.

6.Team Members Hidden Behind Clicks

Violates: Recognition vs. Recall

✅ Recommendation: Show avatars when members exist, and make them accessible from the global UI.

7.Inconsistent CTAs for “Create App”

Violates: Consistency and Standards

✅ Recommendation: Unify “Add New App” and “Create App” CTA styling and hierarchy.

8.Missing App Management Options (Edit/Delete)

Violates: Flexibility of Use

✅ Recommendation: Show “Edit” and “Delete” on hover, following standard UI patterns.

9.Live/Beta Apps Not Visually Grouped

Violates: Recognition vs. Recall

✅ Recommendation: Group related versions under one app card visually.

Before

After